Echoes of the Past
by Duchess131
Summary: A confused and guilty Regulus Black overhears a disturbing conversation between unlikely people and is prompted to have one last talk with his older brother. However, this talk and the events it triggers do not exactly go as Regulus planned.


It was October 31, 1981. Regulus Black sighed as he made his way down the empty street. He was still completely lost as to why he was doing this. He certainly had nothing to live for, and he really should have cared less about the Potter family. But Regulus knew that he did care about the Potters, and that was why he was currently walking down the street to his older brother's flat.

"Why, exactly, do you think Sirius is going to listen to you?" he spoke aloud to the night.

Regulus sighed again. Pettigrew. He had never particularly liked the man, and now he knew that his feelings were justified. He couldn't believe that Pettigrew had willingly betrayed his best friends.

Regulus had never had a best friend; the relationship between the four Gryffindors was foreign to him.

_How could he_, Regulus thought, _I saw them, they were practically brothers._

At this a familiar wave of jealousy flared up inside him, but he quickly crushed it back down. Now was not the time for those old feelings. Now was the time for Regulus to be logical and rational. Now was the time for Regulus to ascend the steps to his brother's front door.

He stood; tense, before Sirius's door, attempting to prevent thoughts of what his brother would do from entering his mind. Suddenly, Regulus turned around and began to walk back down the street. He did not need to be doing this. He needed to be on a boat to a cave where he could finish the work he had started several months ago.

Several months ago. For some reason, he could not get those words out of his head. He stopped, images of the Dark Mark hovering over a house, screaming, death, torture, more screaming. He turned around; his mind made up, and walked back to his brother's door and knocked.

Regulus waited nervously, hoping that Sirius wouldn't kill him as soon as he opened the door. He knocked again, harder.

"All right, I'm coming," a voice yelled from inside. By now Regulus's heart was pounding. As soon as that door opened, he would see Sirius. He would see his brother again. He fervently hoped he would survive the encounter in one piece. The door opened, and Regulus barely had the time to place his foot against the wall before it was closing again.

"Sirius," he said, "Just wait, please." His brother paused.

"Why should I wait?" he snarled, "Sorry, but I don't have time to listen to pathetic, wanna-be Death Eaters."

That stung, Regulus had to admit, although he knew he deserved it.

"Sirius," he said again, "I don't want to be a Death Eater anymore. I want to help you."

Sirius scoffed at that, but Regulus, through years of reading his brother's body language, knew that he was shaken.

_Good_, he thought.

"Sirius, I swear I'm telling the truth, and you have to listen to me. I don't support the Dark L-. V-Voldemort, I don't want to serve him, I'm sick of torturing people for him, and I can tell you how to defeat him."

Even after Regulus finished his declaration, Sirius looked doubtful.

"Please trust me," Regulus said desperately, "We used to trust each other, remember. We used to tell each other everything."

_Until you started running around with Potter and the lot, that is. They're your brothers now. _Regulus added to himself. He rolled his eyes. That was definitely the jealousy talking again. He looked his brother in the eye, ready for his one last attempt.

"I know you don't believe that I'm telling you the truth, but I am. I promise you that you can trust me. Please trust me." His brother showed no signs of yielding. Regulus turned around, defeating, to walk back the way he came.

"Reggie."

He stopped. In the past, he had despised that nickname. Now, he welcomed it as a reminder of the old times. He turned around and walked through his brother's open door to begin their first conversation in six years.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You're sure about this," a frantic Sirius asked Regulus several minutes later, "You're absolutely sure?" Regulus could tell that his brother knew the answer, but like Regulus, he didn't want to believe it.

"It's true," Regulus said, "Peter Pettigrew is working for the-him." Sirius stood up and began pacing.

"I just hope we won't be too late," he said, moving towards the door.

"Too late for what," Regulus asked his brother worriedly. Sirius turned around, his face grim.

"Too late to save James, Lily, and Harry from what that traitor did."

"He can't do much damage, though. You're the Secret Keeper, so he won't know…" Regulus trailed off.

"We switched," Sirius sighed, "I have to get there now."

"I'm coming with you," Regulus jumped out of his chair.

"Why do you care what happens to them. You never liked James, that's for sure." Regulus shifted uncomfortably.

"Lily and I were, well, we were sort of friends. We didn't talk much though, but I did like her." Sirius gave him a skeptical look.

"Right, and you two were in love and you're really Harry's father."

"Actually, Sirius…"

If Regulus hadn't been so preoccupied with Pettigrew, he would have laughed at his brother's remarkable resemblance to a fish.

"You are so gullible," he said as he walked out the door, "Come on."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"No," Sirius whispered. Regulus stood back to let his brother enter the ruined house alone. He felt sick. If only he had discovered Pettigrew earlier. If he had just begun thinking earlier, this would never have happened. If he hadn't been so caught up in the misery of his own life, he could have saved three more.

He walked forward to meet Sirius as he came out of the remains of the Potter house.

"They're gone," Sirius said in a hoarse voice, "All gone."

Regulus reached up to put a hand on his brother's shoulder. He didn't feel comfortable with hugging yet, and he doubted Sirius did either. Sirius stiffened as an angry glint appeared in his gray eyes.

"That traitor," he hissed before turning and sprinting down the street.

"Sirius, NO!" Regulus heard himself yell as he ran after his brother. Sirius stopped in the street to glare at Regulus.

"Do you expect me to just do nothing?" he yelled, "He betrayed us!"

"Go to Dumbledore," Regulus pleaded, "Tell someone, _anyone_. Think, Sirius. I know it's difficult right now, but at least try to be somewhat rational."

His brother glared at him, angry eyes intense in his pale face.

"No," Sirius said, his voice low and dangerous, "I'm going to give that traitorous rat what he deserves."

"SIRIUS!" Regulus yelled after the retreating figure of his brother. He felt himself fall to the ground, his body not registering the gravel pressing into his knees.

"Sirius," he whispered, "I just wanted to be a part of your life again, but you choose to shut me out. You always do. I only want to help, but you won't let me. Why, Sirius? Why do you do this to me? You're my brother, you're my _family_. Please, Sirius. Please come back."

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So, there it is. My random idea. I'm not sure if I should leave it a one-shot or continue it. If I do continue it, Regulus and Harry will probably meet before he goes to Hogwarts, and that would be the focus of the story. Please review. It will make me happy. Really happy.


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